It Doesn't Have a Title
by NikBG
Summary: This story is more of an extension of the Fullmetal Alchemist world. The story is really about the characters I created, rather than about the characters Hiromu Arakawa created.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

An elderly woman stood at the front of her classroom, overlooking her mid-day history class. The sight before her was just pitiful. Some of the students were sleeping, others doodling on their respective desks. The teacher reached up to place a shaking hand on her hair bun, sighed, and let her weary eyes rest on an attentive young woman in the second to last row.

_Please don't look at me,_ Julia thought as Mrs. Foss smirked and stole a glance at the other side of the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Mrs. Foss cleared her throat before continuing. "I would like to bring it to the attention of the class that this April is when you will be taking your State Exams. I hope you all remember that you must _pass_ this exam in order to graduate high school…"

Julia looked to the right at her blonde friend Karly, who was biting her fingers in what looked like panic. To her left, Julia saw her friend Lissa, black hair veiling her face as she drew on her desk in discontent. The brunette ruffled her hair with her left hand and turned her attention back to the front. Mrs. Foss was smirking again.

"Let's see who can answer these questions…" Smacking a ruler on the palm of her hand, the teacher paced the length of the front of the classroom, surveying her students as if they were victims. "What year did Führer Roy Mustang become a colonel?" _Silence…_ "In what year did Alphonse Elric die?" Julia bit her tongue so hard she thought her mouth would fill with blood. "How about, what is today's date?"

Karly raised her hand, bouncing in her seat, making eager _ooh-ooh _sounds. "January 7th, 1980!" She finally shouted. Mrs. Foss looked directly at the girl, nodded, and sighed.

"How about," Rubbing her eyes, Mrs. Foss sighed again. "What country is this?"

Lissa looked up from her work of art with a smile. "Amestris." She said proudly with a thick Drachman accent. With a quick laugh, Mrs. Foss took a stack of papers out from under her podium.

"Since you all seem to know so much about our fine country's history, why not quiz on it? I'm sure you'll all pass." Mrs. Foss said with pure sarcasm, glaring around the room. "Wake up, you fools!" The entire class jumped.

Julia sighed, smiling at the irony as she mumbled, "I knew the answers to those questions."

Karly, having heard the mumble, leaned over to Julia as their fuming teacher began passing out the papers. "How come you didn't answer her hard questions then?" Julia smiled weakly and picked up her pen.

"Last time I answered all of her questions, she gave us a quiz. I was trying to save us the hassle of a shameful defeat."

When the bell rang, releasing the sullen students to lunch, Julia stood with her friends, taking their graded quizzes on the way out. "How did you guys do?" Julia inquired once they were in the student littered hallway.

"D for Drachma." Lissa stated with spite, tearing her quiz in half.

"C for – aw darn, my name begins with K!" Karly whined at her paper as if it had named her. The young women turned to Julia who simply stated that she didn't want to talk about it. Lissa and Karly fell back a step in order to glare at the back of Julia's head. "A for Amestris, right?" Karly sang with a smile.

"Yeah…" Julia sighed, ending the conversation as she took her place in the lunch line. After finding their seats and a few minutes of eating in silence, Julia looked across the table to Lissa, who usually ate heftily, with concern. Lissa was in the midst of rearranging the food on her plate, staring at it with a furrow. "What's wrong, Lissa?"

Lissa sighed, stabbing a piece of meat with her fork. "If I fail the State Exam, my parents will be disappointed. All of their work will mean nothing." She had looked to Julia and Karly when she'd uttered the word nothing. Julia took a deep breath.

"You've only been in Amestris for a few years. Of course you don't know as much as–"

"That is no excuse! I should have studied more. Understood more. But I didn't. Now I will pay the price." Lissa snapped, jabbing the table with her finger. Julia waited until her friend was calm before continuing.

"We have a little over three months left until the exam. What if I helped you study?" Lissa looked up. Julia smiled at the hope in her eyes. "And Karly can join us!" She carried on, waving to the blonde next to her.

Karly looked up from her food, beaming. "Oh, yay! Study group!" Lissa smiled, though Julia could see she still wasn't fully convinced.

The rest of the school day continued slowly. Once the final bell rang, Julia made a quick stop at her locker before heading out of the school. Picking up Lissa and Karly at the entrance, the girls walked out into the snowy world, heading for home. They made small talk until they came to Julia's house.

It was a quaint, single story house with steps leading up to the front door. Julia said good-bye to her friends, telling them to come over at noon the next day so they could begin studying. Lissa and Karly agreed and waved as they continued down the street. Carefully walking up the slick steps, Julia pulled her house keys out of her pocket and let herself in. She closed the door, knocking the snow off her shoes before taking them off.

It was painfully silent in the house, so Julia called out "I'm home!" The empty house responded with silence. From the front door, Julia passed the living room to her right and the dining room and kitchen to her left, which were all open to be seen by anyone who had just walked in. Across from the kitchen was her room. Down the hall, on the right, was her brother's room, across from it was the bathroom, and at the end was her parents abandoned bedroom.

Slipping into her room, Julia placed her school bag on the floor next to her desk, which was across the room from the door. To the right was her bed and to the left was a dresser. Julia quickly took her books, notebooks, and homework out of her bag and dropped its contents onto her desk with an audible _bang!_ She stared down at the work, contemplating.

"I can do this work tomorrow while I'm helping them study. It is the weekend after all." She resolved. It was now 4 o'clock, meaning she had an hour of downtime before she needed to start dinner. Julia calmly walked out of her room and sat on one side of the loveseat, turning on the television in front of her.

After flipping through channels for a minute, she found a trivia game show. The host came on with a broad smile as fake as a mirage. "Hello, everyone! Great to see you all here. We're gonna have fun tonight!"

"I bet." Julia said lazily, staring blankly at the screen. And so the game began. It was a typical trivia game show. The host would ask a question, the contestants would answer, and someone got some fancy, expensive prize at the end. Julia smiled, acknowledging the fact that she had answered all of the history questions correctly before the contestants even had time to think of an answer.

At 5 o'clock the show ended and she was forced to cook dinner. Julia turned off the television as she stood from the couch and made her way to the kitchen. Once there, she pulled a medium-sized pot out from the bottom cabinets, a spoon from a drawer, and a box of noodles from an upper cabinet. While the pot was filling with water, she lit the stove and opened the box of uncooked noodles.

"Oh, what modern science has become without Alchemy. Simply amazing." Julia smiled with amusement at the thought of Alchemy before placing the pot on the lit burner and twiddling her thumbs as she waited for it to boil. After 20 minutes of cooking and a packet of powered cheese, Julia had a steaming bowl of macaroni and cheese.

Julia quickly took her place at the wooden, hand-made table for four near the front door. She stirred the noodles around for a moment before looking up at the empty chairs next to her. "Mom, Dad, Maes, how were your days?" Julia mumbled, taking a bite of her food. "That's great! Mine was just wonderful. I aced a pop quiz in history. Oh, and Lissa, Karly, and I formed a study group for the State Exam." Julia said happily before continuing to eat. The rest of the meal was spent in silence.

"Thanks for the talk." The young woman said sarcastically as she stood and walked over to the kitchen. She placed the dirty dishes into the sink and proceeded to clean, dry, and put them away. Being it was still early and she felt spunky, Julia brought her homework into the living room. Sitting on the loveseat again, Julia turned on a documentary about Xing and the dead science of Alkahestry. By 8 o'clock, she was finished with her homework and tired of watching a documentary on something she felt she knew enough about so she turned off the television, put her books back in her school bag, and took a shirt and sweatpants into the bathroom.

After changing, Julia washed her face. As she was brushing her teeth, the telephone rang. The sound pierced the quiet home and stopped Julia in mid brush. She listened as it rang, pursing her lips around the toothbrush in her mouth, white foam sliding down her chin. Julia gripped the edge of the sink until the ringing stopped. As she was finishing up, the telephone began ringing again. This time, Julia ran for the telephone, taking a deep breath before lifting the corded receiver off its hook.

"Hello?" Julia said with caution.

"Why didn't you answer the first time I called?" The deep voice of a man assaulted Julia's ear.

"I was brushing my teeth." Julia said after a short sigh of relief. She heard a sharp tapping on the other end of the line as if her brother were rapping a pen on a desk.

"So that's your new excuse for ignoring m–"

"You're such a jerk, Maes!" Julia yelled into the telephone, throwing her free hand into the air. "If I really wanted to ignore you, I wouldn't have answered at all! Why do I even talk to you anymore?"

"Relax, Julia!" Maes chuckled. "I'm just messing with you. You've gotten so serious in your old age."

Julia smiled lightly. "I blame the lack of an authority figure at home. " Maes broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Ouch! That one stung." It was silent for a long moment before Maes took a long breath. "Listen, I know it's been hard the last two years with me being in New Central–"

"No," Julia cut him off. "Don't worry about me, really." She said confidently, tightening her grip on the receiver. "I really enjoy seeing you and the Lieutenant on holidays. I don't think I could stand seeing you more than that!" Julia made sure her laugh sounded convincing. _I wish I could see the look on your face_, she thought, listening to the silence. Finally, she asked, "So, when will I see you again?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I'm taking off a whole week prior to your State Exam. Someone has to make sure you relax." Julia smiled as Maes chuckled. "And…"

"And?" The young woman questioned, looking around the inane house as if she could possibly find the answer there.

"I have something special planned…but we'll talk about that when I come home. Okay?"

Julia let the line go silent again. It was so silent. In the house. On the telephone. In the depth of her being. It was so still, so quiet. Tears welled up in her eyes as Julia placed her free hand over her mouth to keep herself from hyperventilating. "What's wrong?" Maes asked worriedly, calling Julia back to the conversation.

"Nothing." She said weakly, pulling her hand away and smiling sadly as tears rolled down her face. "I can't wait to see you." There was more silence. Julia knew that he could tell that she was breaking down.

"Get some sleep, Julia. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight, Maes."

"Night."

With that, Julia lightly set the receiver down, letting her sobs spill out of her chest like rolling thunder. She was so relieved that her brother had called and not some high ranking officer, ready to tell her some default speech about how Maes had protected his country valiantly but sadly, he would never be coming home. Yet, Julia was alone, so very alone that she could barely contain her sadness anymore.

Wiping her face with her hand, Julia flipped the light in the hall off and shuffled into her room. Julia crawled into bed and proceeded to do what she did almost every night – cry herself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The most horrible sound pierced the walls of Julia's subconscious, awaking her from her sleep. The young woman groaned, rubbing her groggy eyes as she sat up in bed. Swinging her legs over the edge of her bed, Julia stood too quickly and stumbled into her dresser. She shut her alarm clock off without looking at it to see the time. Grabbing some random clothes from one of the drawers, Julia made her way out of her room and into the bathroom, where she showered and prepared for the long day ahead.

An hour later it was 9 o'clock and the quiet was interrupted by two curt rings of the doorbell. Julia hurried out of the bathroom, tugging a shirt over her head. When she opened the door, she was greeted by a middle-aged woman with cleaning supplies, whom she let in.

"Thank goodness." The blonde woman sighed, setting down her belongings and breathing hot air onto her frozen hands.

"You'd think you'd invest in some gloves, Susan." Julia smiled, walking into the kitchen.

Susan laughed, picking up a spray bottle and a rag. "What's the fun in that?" She said, proceeding to clean the living room.

"Oh, I don't know…" Julia said, pulling two frying pans out of one of the bottom cabinets. "Being warm maybe?" Julia laughed, setting the pans on the stove before taking a box of pancake mix from an upper cabinet and a carton of eggs from the fridge. While she made breakfast, Julia cleaned the kitchen and Susan cleaned the living room and dining room.

Susan had just entered Maes's room when Julia called, "I'm dishing so you better get in here!"

"I'm just gonna dust your room and then I'll come!" Julia nodded in understanding as she placed two full plates of food, two knives and forks, and two tall glasses of milk on the table. Julia sat at the table with her back to the hallway until Susan sat across from her and they were able to start eating together.

With a hand concealing a mouth full of food, Susan smiled and said, "This is why you're my first house. Your cooking is so _good_." She swallowed. "No one else offers me food. I don't think your brother knows what he's got. Why don't you come be my sister?"

Julia snickered. "Sorry but I happen to love my brother too much to just up and leave. Besides, I like eating with people I don't see very often. It's nice to share something special with someone special." She smiled sadly at her plate and Susan smiled at her.

"You're such a sweetheart. Only someone like you could think a cleaning lady is special."

"You're still a person, though." Julia said matter-of-factly. "And every person is special."

After breakfast, Julia took the dishes into the kitchen in order to wash, dry, and put them away before cleaning the sink. As she did this, she could hear Susan speed cleaning the bathroom. Once the kitchen was spotless, Julia went into the bathroom for a clean bath towel, careful to not hit Susan with the door, and then traveled into the living room, where she took a seat on the loveseat. Susan soon came out of the bathroom with a mop and a half full bucket of water mixed with floor cleaner. With patience, Julia watched her mop the living room, dining room, and hallway's hard wood floor, along with the kitchen's laminate floor.

When Julia saw that Susan had gone into Maes's room to vacuum, she laid the towel on the floor, stood on it, and began drying the floors as she shuffled across them. Susan smiled at Julia, who was concentrating on not falling, as she went into Julia's room with the vacuum. Finished, Julia picked up the wet towel and took it to the laundry basket in the bathroom.

Susan exited Julia's room and prepared to leave by bringing her supplies back to her van, which was parked in front of the house. Julia went to her room to put on a pair of socks and then went into the dining room, where she stood next to the table, arms crossed with her hands tucked under her arms, watching Susan come back into the house and close the door.

"You know," Susan began, wiping her shoes on the little mat in front of the door. "I don't understand why you let your brother pay me to clean the house when you seem capable enough." The older woman laughed, shrugging her coat on.

Julia smiled. "He doesn't pay you to clean my house." Susan dramatically raised her eyebrows at Julia, causing her to laugh. "Okay, he _does_ pay you for that but, really, he pays you to keep me company."

"What do you mean?" Susan asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"During the week, I'm busy with school and homework, but on the weekend, I have downtime and my brother doesn't want me to think about sad stuff while I'm alone. Normally, on Saturdays, my friends come over at noon, after they're done babysitting their siblings, and they're usually here until Sunday afternoon. Then I go to the Laundromat up the street. Saturday mornings are my only time alone in this house with nothing to do but clean and think."

By now, Susan had a look of complete sadness and concern on her face. "I never knew…"

Julia smiled widely and made herself sound a bit chipper when she spoke again. "Oh, it's okay! I really enjoy your company. It gives me the chance to eat with someone real."

Susan looked at the door for a moment and grabbed the door knob. She caught Julia's gaze. "From now on, I think I'll eat more slowly and it may take me longer to clean…"

"Really, you don't–"

"Okay! Have a nice day, Julia. See you in a week!" Susan cut her off and flew out the door faster than a cat thrown in water. Julia flinched when the door slammed.

"Great. Now I'm a charity case." Julia said disdainfully, sticking her tongue out of her mouth as she walked to her room. Pulling her tongue back into her mouth, Julia looked at the alarm clock on her dresser, noting that it was 11:30. She quickly pulled all of the contents out of her school bag, a few books at a time, and carried them all to the kitchen table in one trip. As she was straightening them out, Julia happened to glance at the piece of wall between the living room and her bedroom door.

Julia walked up to the wall. Placing the heels of her hands on the edge of the last countertop, Julia hoisted herself up so that she was sitting directly across the hall from the wall. She crossed her ankles, clasped her hands together on her lap, and looked at the four pictures on the wall. They were in the shape of a cross.

The top picture was the oldest, taken in 1914. In the picture were her great-grandparents Gracia and Maes Hughes. Between them was their 3-year-old daughter, her grandmother, Elicia. The family was smiling happily.

The left hand picture in the second row was her favorite. Her mother, father, and Grandma Elicia were sitting on her grandmother's couch, while her brother and Julia were sitting in front of them on the floor, smiling. That had been six years ago and it was also the last moment her family had spent complete. Julia remembered how her mother hadn't been feeling well that December, so her parents went out to get medicine. Of course, the roads were slick that night. It was hard spending the holidays without them.

The picture on the right side of the telephone had better memories. Grandma Elicia had decided to sell her house in Old Central in order to live with Maes and Julia in the West. And so was the picture. Elicia had asked one of the movers to take a picture of them, a loving grandmother holding her two smiling grandchildren.

The last picture was taken two years ago, after her grandmother had passed peacefully in her sleep. The picture was of Julia and Maes. They weren't smiling anymore.

Julia remembered the day that picture was taken. The day before, Maes had informed her that he was going to Central to become a soldier and a week later, he was gone. She remembered asking him why he was leaving her. He simply said, "I couldn't protect Mom and  
Dad. I couldn't protect Grandma. Maybe I won't be able to protect you either but, by joining the military, maybe I can protect someone."

Julia can still picture him walking out the front door. That first day of silence was the hardest.

The doorbell rang, jarring Julia from her thoughts. She slid off the counter, quickly wiping her tears away before opening the door.

"Julia!" Karly screamed, jumping through the door. Julia caught the girl, hugging her tightly before closing the door behind Lissa. The girls dropped their backpacks and pillows on the living room floor as Julia jogged to her room, where she pulled two sleeping bags out from under her bed. She threw her comforter over her shoulder, placed her pillow under her arm, and walked back into the living room. Karly skipped into Julia's room and Lissa followed her, speed walking. They came out with Julia's mattress and laid it on the small area of floor between the loveseat and television. Julia unrolled the sleeping bags and laid them on the mattress after making up the loveseat with her pillow and comforter.

"Okay," Julia said with a smile, looking up at her friends' sad faces. "Where do you want to do this?"

"Here." They said in unison, pointing at the mattress. Julia awkwardly hopped over the mattress and fetched her books from the table while Lissa and Karly pulled their books out of their backpacks.

Julia sighed as she dropped her books on the loveseat and sat down, crossing her legs. "Lissa," The Drachman looked up from her seat on the mattress. "Since you're the one having the hardest time, why don't we start with what's difficult for you."

A thoughtful expression crossed her face before she spoke. "I have trouble with everything. There is lots of things I was not taught. I have question though. Why did the short Elric boy join Amestris military?"

Julia smiled. This was going to be a _long _three months. "First, his name is Edward Elric – you might want to take notes." She waited until Karly and Lissa had their notebooks and pens out. "Specifically, he joined the State Alchemists. His name was Fullmetal and he was known for being the youngest State Alchemist to ever join the military's ranks. He was a very powerful and skilled alchemist–"

"Julia's got a historical boyfriend!" Karly giggled, pointing her pen at said friend. "But then again, we already knew that, didn't we, Jewels?" Karly sang gleefully. Julia glared at her friend, who smirked and continued writing.

"As for why he joined," Julia said forcefully. "No one really knows. The Fullmetal Alchemist was only in the military for about 5 years before turning in his watch…" The woman said thoughtfully, resting her chin on her fist. "There's a lot we don't know about that time. Why did Führer Mustang lead a revolt against the government? What was the government doing that made him dethrone Führer Bradley? Why was Alphonse Elric in a suit of armor the entire time his brother was a State Alchemist? What was he hiding? Who killed Maes Hughes and why? The questions are endless!" Julia exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"And unfortunately, we may never know the answers. Edward Elric is the last one from that time period. When he dies, all of those secrets will go with him." There was a moment of anticipative silence before Julia smiled and said, "But let's focus on the facts. That's what will be on the test."

"A few more questions. Then, we'll break for dinner." Julia said, hanging up the telephone after ordering a pizza from the local pizzeria. Karly groaned, throwing herself backwards. Her body bounced on the mattress.

"But my head hurts! And my hand hurts. You're worse than the Fossil." Karly whined, giving Julia a pouting face.

Lissa snickered at the allusion to their history teacher. "At least Julia does not give quizzes." Karly groaned again.

"Okay," Julia smiled, taking a seat on the loveseat. "Question: When did Alphonse Elric die?" The young woman sighed when Lissa and Karly shrugged their shoulders. "It was 1926. Here's an easy one: How old was he was he died?"

"…Twenty-six?" Karly asked and Julia clapped in approval.

"From–"

"Polio." Lissa interrupted. "I remember this. He – what is the word?" She snapped a few times before nodding. "He contracted polio in early 1920s."

Julia smiled. "Those answers were break worthy."

"Yes!" Karly shouted, slamming her book closed.

"Wait – I have question." Lissa turned back to Julia. "Why can Amestrians not use Alchemy?"

"That's a great question but I don't have the answer. Around 1917, Alchemists were just…unable to transmute anymore. After that, modern science boomed and, with it, modern medicine. What I can tell you is that soon after that, Xing's Alkahestry couldn't compare to the Amestrian's medicine, and so, it became a dead science." As Julia was finishing her explanation, the telephone stated to ring.

"Got it!" Karly yelled, running for the telephone.

"Karly, wait–"

"Hughes residence!" Karly sang into the telephone; Julia's heart sank. "Oh, hey, Colonel." Karly said seductively; Julia looked at her friend in pure, unwavering disgust. "Julia's busy tutoring Lissa right now but you can talk to me, Maes…" There was silence while Karly listened to the man on the other end of the line. Karly clicked her tongue in annoyance and took the receiver away from her ear. "My future husband just hung up on me!" She said with a look of irritation on her face.

"Karly! That's so wrong! My brother is six years older than us! He's twenty-four! Besides, I'm trying to hook him up with Lieutenant Misa. You know that!" Julia proclaimed as Karly hung up the telephone. Lissa laughed at them.

"But he's _so_ good looking! And I'm of age now!"

"Ew. Ew. Ew." Julia held up her left hand at Karly while holding her head in the other. She took a deep breath and looked up. "So, what did he want?"

"He said," Karly cleared her throat before continuing in a manly voice. "'Tell my sister that I've been called south and I'll call her when I'm back in Central.' And then he hung up on me, _Julia_!" She stressed the girl's name in her whine. Lissa was still laughing at them, but now, she was pointing.

It was 11 o'clock. The girls had quit studying an hour ago and now Julia was turning out the light before crawling into her loveseat-bed. Lissa and Karly were lying on the mattress in the sleeping bags. Julia had just lain her head on her pillow when she heard one of them sigh.

"Julia?" Lissa asked. Julia turned her head toward them, unable to see.

"Yes?" There was a long pause.

"You really think I can pass the exam?" Julia smiled.

"Of course, Lissa. I know you can."

"Lissa, we're gonna pass. We have the best teacher in the world." Karly said seriously. This made Julia smiled even more.

"Thank you." The girls quickly said their goodnights and were soon sleeping. Julia turned her head so that she was facing the ceiling and stared into the darkness.

As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, she thought about all the meaning behind her thanks. She was so thankful for her friends. Karly had been with her through everything, even before the deaths of her parents. Lissa had been there since before her grandma's death. Ever since her brother became a soldier, they had sacrificed their Saturday nights for the last two years in order to be with her. Julia was extremely lucky to have two best friends like them.

_I don't have a reason to cry with them around. Okay, no more tears. No more._ Julia thought, turning her head one last time, smiling into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Julia shivered as she stood on her front porch. It was a cold February morning and Julia was anxiously waiting for her friends to appear. Less than a month had passed since Julia took on the difficult task of teaching her friends four years of material in less than three months. Of course, she didn't feel burdened by her friends. If anything, Julia enjoyed seeing Lissa and Karly every day after school and enduring Susan, who made it her mission to clean until her friends arrived.

"Look at you _smiling_!" Karly's sweet voice interrupted Julia's thoughts. "Someone's having a good day." Julia laughed, cautiously making her way down the slick steps before joining Lissa and Karly on the sidewalk.

"Julia, Karly and I must watch our brothers and sisters tonight. I'm sorry we cannot study." Lissa said, looking over at Julia, who smiled.

"That's alright."

"So, Julia, don't you agree that a certain girl's speech has gotten better?" Karly sang, pointing to Lissa, who laughed happily.

"Yeah, I've been able to hear it."

Lissa smiled at Julia. "Listening to you speak has helped me. It was hard since I don't speak at school and I speak Drachman at home." Julia and Karly nodded in understanding as they came upon their high school.

Julia sat impatiently as she watched her math teacher tap the blackboard with a piece of chalk. He was complaining about something State Exam based. Quite honestly, she didn't care about what he was saying. She knew she would pass each section of the exam if she kept studying. Lissa and Karly would be in the same boat if they could just get the historical content to stick.

The dismissal bell rang and Julia jumped out of her seat in the back row, excited to get to her next class. Julia hurried through the hallways, stopping at her locker for the materials she would need. She left her locker quickly, spotting Lissa and Karly as she stopped in front of the classroom door. They walked in together.

"Whoa…" The young women said in unison, stopping in the doorway. Streamers hung from the walls and ceiling. Balloons littered the floor and furniture. On their teacher's desk were rows of party hats, a stack of small pieces of paper, three pens, and a shoe box. Behind the desk was Mrs. Foss, dressed in colorful clothing and sporting a party hat.

"Oh yeah! Party time!" Karly exclaimed, punching the air above her head. Mrs. Foss took a kazoo out of her mouth.

"Yes, today is a very special day, one that cannot go without celebration." The elder woman said, beckoning the students with her hand. They heeded her command. "The question is: what are we celebrating today? Write your name and answer on a piece of paper and put it in the box. Then take a hat and go sit down."

Julia looked over at the board as Lissa and Karly jotted down their answers. She noticed that Mrs. Foss's directions were on the board and the date was written next to them.

_February 3__rd__…_ Julia thought, taking a pen. Lissa and Karly made their way to their desks, attempting to put on the hats while juggling their books. Julia looked down at her paper and said a quiet "oh" before writing her answer. She dropped her paper into the box and grabbed a paper hat before joining her friends in the back of the room.

"So, Julia, what was the answer?" Karly asked; Lissa leaned in.

Julia placed the paper party hat on her head. "Today is–"

"Hey!" The girls jumped and looked up at Mrs. Foss, who was pointing at them with a look of pure rage painted on her face. "Don't ruin the surprise for those who don't know – Hey!" She yelled again but, this time, it was at some students who had just walked into the classroom. "Directions are on the board."

Afraid of being chastised again, Julia and her friends stayed silent until the bell rang and all of the students were seated. Mrs. Foss looked at the last of the papers, shaking her head.

"Not good…" She said before looking up with a smile. "Well, to the three students who got it right, good job. To the rest of you, today is a very special old man's birthday." Mrs. Foss blew her kazoo and asked, "How could you all forget Edward Elric's 81st birthday…? Well, none-the-less, we will not be having class. Instead, we'll be throwing a party!" A few of the students clapped and cheered; all of them smiled. "A study party, that is." The students groaned and Mrs. Foss waved her hand at them. "Oh, it'll be fun! I've got games that'll make you think." She said, poking the side of her head with a long, gnarled finger. "Now, get into groups."

Julia, Lissa, and Karly moved their desks together in the shape of a triangle while Mrs. Foss passed out papers with different puzzles and activities on them. When she came to the trio, she handed each of them a chocolate bar.

"Congratulations, ladies." Julia looked at her friends in shock; she was so proud of them, she was speechless. "I've noticed that your test scores have improved." Mrs. Foss said with a smile, placing her hands on Lissa and Karly's heads. "Have you two been cheating off of Julia?"

Karly smiled and raised an index finger at her teacher. "If, by cheating, you mean studying with her day and night, then yes!"

It was Mrs. Foss's turn to look shocked. "You three formed a study group?"

"Yes, ma'am. For the last month, Julia has been tutoring us every day." Lissa said and their teacher smiled.

"You have such a lovely voice, my dear. You should speak more." Mrs. Foss said, patting Lissa on the head before leaving them.

Julia looked back and forth between them. "You guys knew the answer?"

"Duh!" Karly said, opening the candy wrapper and taking a bite of her prize.

"Then why did you ask me what the answer was?"

"To surprise you." Lissa said with a smile. "You are a great teacher, Julia."

Julia watched as Lissa and Karly tried working out one of the puzzles. They had to match events or descriptions to dates or people. Her friends seemed to be getting on just fine without her, so Julia allowed her mind to wander.

_Maes still hasn't called me…_ Julia thought sadly. She knew her brother was strong, but no man was invincible; she worried about him. Even knowing he was under the Lieutenant's watchful hawk-like eyes didn't ease her mind.

"Julia, is something wrong?" Lissa asked, looking up from her paper.

Pushing aside her worry, Julia sighed. "It's been a month and Maes hasn't called me. I'm just worried."

"Julia," Karly said, still engrossed in her paper. "I've known your brother almost as long as you have. We both know he's a man of his word. If he said he's going to call you _when he returns to New Central_ then he's going to call you. I'm sure he's fine." Julia had been watching Karly the entire time she'd been talking. Karly had kept a straight face and a serious tone. The blonde girl smiled up at Julia. "You're worrying for nothing. Maes Hughes _always_ comes home."

Julia almost started crying right in front of them.

The dismissal bell rang, exciting some of the hungry students. Julia helped her friends fix the desks quickly. They had gathered their things and were just about to leave when Mrs. Foss stopped them.

"Julia, could you stay, please?" Lissa and Karly looked at Julia with concern from their place near the door. Mrs. Foss smiled. "You girls, go to lunch. And why don't you get Julia's lunch for her? She'll be right with you." Julia watched her friends leave and then turned to smile at her favorite teacher, who told her to take a seat.

Mrs. Foss smiled at Julia as she sat down. "Did you know that Mr. Elric and I grew up in the same town?"

"No, I didn't! How interesting…" The young woman couldn't help but smile even more.

"I'm a little over ten years younger than him but I remember how – after he gave up being a State Alchemist – how every girl in Resembool tried to become Mrs. Edward Elric. He _was_ a handsome young man, and I will admit that I was no different than them. But I made a mistake, Julia, and do you know what that was?" Julia shook her head and leaned in. She was truly enjoying this. "I thought I was special.

"And so, one day, sixteen-year-old me found the courage to ask Mr. Elric the big question. I saw him walking home that day and struck up a conversation with him. When we stopped in front of my house to say farewell, I just blurted, "Mr. Elric, please make me your wife!'" Julia grinned. "I don't think I would've cried so hard if he hadn't laughed at me–"

"He laughed at you?" Julia said in disbelief while Mrs. Foss laughed hysterically and waved a wrinkly hand at her student.

"Please, don't think badly of him. After I finally calmed down, he told me something _very_ important. He said, 'Once upon a time, I knew a woman who would have made the perfect wife…but I let her go because I love her so much. Now, I'll have to wait a very long time before I can see her again and, by then, it will be too late. I know they say "if you love something, let it go" but, if I could go back in time and beg her to stay, I would. Someday, you're going to find someone that you're going to want to keep forever and, for the love of God, you hold onto them with a death grip. Don't let them go because, even if they wanted to return to you, they might not be able to.'"

The room was silent as Julia processed what she had just heard. Their gazes never parted.

"I don't remember ever hearing about a girl…" Julia said. Mrs. Foss smiled at her confusion.

"There are lots of things we Amestrians don't know about our country and its heroes. I'm thinking the girl had to have come into and walk out of Mr. Elric's life while he was a State Alchemist because, when those boys returned home, there was no girl."

"But why is this important?" Julia asked, raising her hands, palms up at her teacher as if begging her to lay the answer in her hands.

"This girl, whoever she is or was, she was special. So special, she was taken off the record…" Julia stared at the elder woman.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Mrs. Foss smiled more, folding her hands over her desk. The old woman leaned in and whispered, "Because, my dear Julia, knowledge is power."

"Bye!" Julia called to Lissa and Karly, stepping into her house. She stomped the snow off her shoes before taking them off and leaving them on the mat. Entering her room, Julia placed her empty school bag on the carpeted floor and her coat on the back of her chair. Unsure of what to do next, Julia left her room and wandered into her brother's domain.

It still held all things precious to Maes. He refused to take anything he loved from his home. There were pictures of friends and family on the walls, miscellaneous items that Julia had made in school for him, a nicely made up bed on the left side of the room, a short dresser opposite the door, and a wide bookshelf on the right hand wall. Just being in the room made Julia miss her brother even more.

Julia walked up to the bookshelf, thinking about what Mrs. Foss had told her. "Knowledge is power…" She repeated, scanning the spines. Finally, Julia came across a blank, black spine and pulled the book out of its place on the top shelf. It was a beginner's book about Alchemy. "Best to gain power by seeking knowledge about subjects one is ignorant about, I guess." Julia said, leaving the room.

She stood at the kitchen counter, opening the book to the first page…and then the next and the next until she was completely uninterested.

_Construction… Deconstruction… Reconstruction… Equivalent Exchange…_

Julia found very little knowledge in a science that she couldn't even use. She flipped the page; another circle and another paragraph to explain how amazing Alchemy was. Julia was about to close the book when something caught her eye.

"Human Transmutation…" She said in wonder, staring at the transmutation circle. Julia referred to the single sentence under the circle, which she read out loud to herself. "'This transmutation has been deemed a taboo by the Amestrian Government.'" Laughing, Julia opened the drawer in front of her, pulling out a white crayon. "Let's see just how dangerous you are."

Shoving the book to the side, Julia drew a circle and then a pentagon within the circle on her black counter. She looked back to the page before drawing an upside down pentagon within the original pentagon and, lastly, a circle within the last shape. "The first page said it's best to clap my hands first so…" _Clap…_ "Let the energy flow between myself…and the circle…" Julia took a deep breath and began lowering her hands to the countertop.

Her hands were just about to touch the circle when the telephone rang and startled her so much that she jumped back into the fridge. Julia speedily calmed herself down and wasted little time answering the phone.

"Hello?" She said, willing Maes's voice through the phone.

"Oh, good! You're home." A young woman's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Misa?" Julia asked smiling to herself. Suddenly, her happiness was replaced by fear. "Is Maes alright?"

The woman on the other end chuckled. "He was just complaining to me this morning about how much he'd _love_ some of your cooking and how _jealous_ he'd be if I dared to eat your food without him." Julia sighed, a huge weight lifting from her chest.

"So, he's still in the South?"

"Yes, and he wanted me to apologize to you for that on his behalf. He didn't expect to be gone so long." Misa cleared her throat. "Anyway, the reason I called you was because I'm in town and I wanted to know if you'd like to join me for dinner…"

Julia smiled and looked around her empty house. "I'd love to, Lieutenant."

"Perfect! I'll be there in one hour. Be ready." The women said their goodbyes and Julia slowly returned to the circle. She smiled, closing the book and grabbing a dry rag from one of the drawers. After wetting the piece of cloth, Julia hastily scrubbed the crayon away and laughed.

"How dare I think I'm special."

Julia slowly paced in the hallway, waiting for the time to pass. In the last fifty minutes, Julia had traded her school clothes for a pair of pink leggings and her nicest over-sized, black shirt, and watched the end of a trivia show. She was anxious. It had been over two months since she had seen Misa, and Julia was over-excited to spend time with her lifelong neighbor.

Hearing two swift knocks on the front door, Julia hurried down the hallway and opened the door. Before her stood a woman of average height, long jet black hair that was neatly clipped back, and piercing brown eyes. She was wearing a blue uniform; two gold stars were proudly displayed on each shoulder.

"You're wearing it…" Julia said, trying to not sound disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Julia. I'm still on call so I have to–" Misa was cut off in mid-explanation. Julia had surprised her by wrapping her arms around Misa's back. The older woman hugged Julia back with force.

"It's okay. I understand." Julia pulled away and smiled. Misa grabbed Julia's shoulders so she could get a better look at her friend. She smiled, knowingly.

"Let's go eat." Misa said, pulling Julia out of the house and closing the door behind her. "You really should salt this."

"I know." Julia laughed as they carefully descended the stairs into the night. Misa led Julia to a black military car that was parked next door in front of Misa's house. After opening the passenger-side door and waiting for Julia to get in, Misa walked around the front of the car and got in behind the wheel. Julia waited until the car was in motion before speaking.

"So, how is your cousin?"

Misa chuckled. "Angry. He thinks I conned him into becoming the Führer because I knew what I was getting him into. He's just upset because he doesn't think he can live up to the family's greatness. Of course, I know that no matter what, out great-grandparents, who started all of this I might add, would be so proud!" Misa hit her hand on the edge of the steering wheel as if to validate her assumption.

Julia smiled. "I think he's doing a great job! He's done so much with this country in the last two years."

"I keep telling him that!" Misa sang. "But he doesn't listen…" Julia laughed as the car stopped in front of a brightly lit restaurant. The women hurried into the restaurant, where a pale woman greeted them. "I have a reservation under Mustang." The hostess nodded silently and led Misa and Julia to a table away from the other diners before returning to the front of the restaurant.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Julia looked up and smiled at their server, who was placing two glasses of water on the table. She was a young girl with brown skin, short silver hair, and sparking red eyes. The Ishvalan girl smiled sweetly at the Amestrians with pure joy and quickly took their orders.

"So, how is Maes?" Julia asked once the girl had left. Misa cleared her throat.

"Colonel Hughes is just–"

"After twenty-four years of being the _best_ of friends, you'd think you could call him by his first name like you used to, Lieutenant Mustang." Julia said, looking up at her friend from under a furrow.

Misa smiled and said with a rich coating of sarcasm, "I'm technically still _at work_ so I must respect my superior officer, Civilian Julia." The brunette snickered and relaxed.

"Anyway," Misa began again through a chuckle. "Your brother is just fine, except lately, he's really been bragging about you." She continued, dramatically deepening her voice and waving her hands around. "'My sister is so smart and someday she's going to be a world leader, just you wait and see!'" Julia smiled and raised her glass to take a drink. "About a month ago, he was going on and on to Old Man Elric about how you were going to get a perfect score on your State Exam."

It took all of Julia's will power to keep the water in her mouth. She swallowed hard and coughed before she could speak. "He's talked about me to Edward Elric?"

"That's almost the only thing your brother talks about to that man." Misa laughed. "Do you know how many times I've heard Mr. Elric accuse your brother of being 'like the original Maes Hughes'?" She asked, using her finders as quotation marks. Misa continued in a stereotypical old man's voice. "'I had to live through Hughes going on and on about his wife and kid and now another Hughes has come to harass me with more stories and photos of his family!'" The older woman slapped the table as she laughed hysterically. Their server eyed her warily as she set down their food.

"Oh, please don't let what I said leave this table." Misa breathed heavily, trying to regain her composure. "If Maes finds out, he'll tell the old man and I'll never hear the end of it from either of them." Julia smiled, silently noticing the woman's slip up. Misa turned to the Ishvalan girl with a smile. "Excuse me, but may I borrow your pen a moment?" Their server nodded, showing off her cute smile as she handed Misa the pen that was clipped to her apron. Misa proceeded to write something on a napkin, which she placed in her breast pocket before handing the pen back to the girl, who speedily took her leave. "Thank you, sweetheart!"

"So, why are you in town, Misa?" Julia asked around a mouthful of Ishvalan cuisine.

Misa frowned, staring down at the plate in front of her. "I was visiting my grandmother while my parents are on vacation. She's not doing very well, Julia." Misa paused and looked into Julia's bright green eyes. "She kept calling me 'Mom' and I tried to explain to her that, not only do I not look much like Riza, but that her mother had died after I was born…I completely lost her then." Julia looked down, unsure of what to say, and remained silent until Misa spoke again. "But enough about me, Julia. How have you been?"

Julia looked up into Misa's smile. The woman across from her was so strong. Julia had heard stories about the strength of Führer Roy Mustang and his wife Riza Hawkeye. It was apparent that this strength had been passed down to Misa, along with her great-grandmother's sharp shooting. If Alchemy were still a valid science, Julia was sure Misa would be a strong Alchemist as well.

After summarizing about school and friends, Julia said, "Honestly though, I've been pretty lonesome, even with Lissa and Karly. But I'm having fun now and I feel better knowing Maes is okay. I just…wish he would call more."

Misa smiled sadly at Julia. "The Colonel chooses to call you from Central Command because when he leaves, he knows he's going to be busy. Believe me, Julia, when I say that your brother loves and misses you just as much as you love and miss him. Not a moment goes by that he doesn't think of you or brag about you. I know you like to think that he's all you have left but you have to remember that you're all that he has left too." Misa reached across the table and squeezed Julia's hand in hers.

Julia smiled, thankful for her friend's heartfelt words, but then she smirked, eyeing the older woman. "He'd have so much more if he'd just get himself a girlfriend, preferably a Lieutenant…" Misa laughed nervously, taking her hand back and waving it around her pink face.

"That's really not–"

"Excuse me, miss?" The women looked up at an elder Ishvalan man who was looking down at Misa. The girl who had served them was peeking her head out from behind him. "You wouldn't be related to the Führer, would you? The one that passed about thirty or so years ago?"

Misa smiled kindly at the old man. "Yes, sir. I'm his great-granddaughter."

The old man sighed with relief. "That man did so much for my people; he made us equals again. I always wished I had been able to thank him myself. It is an honor to serve you and your friend. Your bill will be taken care of."

"Oh, no, sir, I couldn't–"

"Please," The man said, raising his hand to hush Misa. "You wouldn't want to fight an old Ishvalan like me, miss." The man laughed.

"No, I guess I wouldn't." Misa said, smiling as she watched the man leave with the young girl. Julia watched as Misa produced a hefty amount of money from her jacket pocket. She dropped the money on the table and stood. "Quick! Before they catch us."

When they got to the car, Misa peeled out of the space in front of the Ishvalan restaurant and sped off toward home.

Julia didn't say anything about what she had just seen. She didn't have to.

Sooner than she'd hoped, Julia was standing on her front porch with Misa. She really hated saying goodbye but, what she detested even more, was watching them go.

"I should be going. I've got an early train to the South to catch in the morning." Julia just nodded, feeling like the world was, once again, being unfair to her. Misa hugged Julia tightly and she returned the gesture with just as much love. "You know, your brother asked me to check in with him after I saw you but…" Misa paused, reaching into her breast pocket. She pulled out the napkin that she had written on at dinner. "I'm awfully tired." She continued, offering the napkin to Julia. "Would you mind checking in for me?"

Julia took the napkin and looked down at it. There was a number scribbled on it. Julia wrapped her arms around Misa's shoulders and hugged her like she planned to never let go. "Thank you so much." She whispered.

Misa pulled away, smiling brightly. "Stay strong, okay? Two more months and your brother will be here, with you, in his street clothes."

"Will you be able to–" Julia stopped talking when Misa started shaking her head.

"Unless I can, by some miracle, get a paid vacation, I can't. I'm trying to save up so I can move my grandma to a better hospital."

"I understand. If you need anything, Misa–"

"I know where to find you." Misa said with a smile and a nod.

After that, the women regrettably said their goodbyes and parted. Julia hadn't realized how cold she was until she was inside the house. Setting the napkin on the table, Julia undressed as she walked to her room. Once inside, she pulled out a pair of pajamas and tugged them on. Leaving the room in a hurry, Julia grabbed the napkin and the telephone receiver. She quickly punched in the numbers. She waited…she listened to the ring…she waited–

"Hello?"

Julia nearly burst into tears.

"Hello?"

Her brother's voice sounded like a thousand angels singing.

"_Hello_…?"

Julia missed him so much but she just couldn't force herself to speak.

"…Who is this?"

She hung up.

And called him right back.

"Is this my mystery caller?" Maes said into the telephone, obviously amused with the situation. "If you want to have a conversation, you have to speak, you kn–"

"I'm sorry!" Julia said, trying to fight the smiled that was corrupting her sadness.

"Julia? What's wrong? Did something–"

"I'm sorry I'm acting like such a creep." She couldn't help laughing when she said the last word.

Maes laughed whole-heartedly. "That's alright. I thought I was going to make a friend tonight!" He paused to recompose himself. "I'm glad you called, Julia. I'm sorry they've kept me so long."  
Julia smiled. "It's okay. I just…" She wanted to say she worried. That was the truth but she knew what she actually wanted to say. "I just miss you, Maes."

There was a long pause. "Spend the summer in Central."

"What?" Julia said in disbelief.

"We can board you in the dorms, you can explore Old Central when I'm too busy, and I'll take you with if I get called elsewhere. I'd like to spend time with you before you go to the University. Would you want to do that?"

Julia didn't realize how hard she had been smiling until she started talking and her lips started aching. "Really?"

She could almost see her brother smiling when he said, "For you, anything."

"Thank you." Julia said as silent tears wet her cheeks.

"I've missed you too, Julia. Now, go get some sleep. You have school in the morning." He said sternly.

"Goodnight, Maes."

"Sweet dreams, kid."

That night, Julia was able to fall asleep without shedding a tear…

…And in the morning, before she woke, a woman in a blue military uniform left a layer of salt on Julia's front porch and stairs before leaving to catch an early train to the South.


End file.
